NOW that we know which teams the Azkals will face in the AFF Suzuki Cup and the Asian Cup, one question hangs in the air: will the contract of Coach Thomas Dooley be renewed?
Azkals management has been saying that Dooley’s contract is still under evaluation and it will take a month before a decision can be made. Team manager Dan Palami gave that statement early last April yet, so fans can expect a decision any time this May.
Dooley’s case is quite a curious one. After the Azkals edged Tajikistan in Manila to qualify for the 2019 Asian Cup, Dooley needed to say that the historic result should merit him a contract extension.
Pundits were quick to throw the question: if the Azkals under Dooley struggled against lesser teams, the same team would have little or no chance against the behemoths of Asian football.
And with behemoths the Azkals were drawn in Group C of the Asian Cup. Some call this the Group of Death, but for any developing nation lumped together with South Korea, China and Kyrgyzstan, what fate could be worse? Well, being grouped with Southeast Asian powerhouses Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore in the regional tournament held a month before the Asian Cup, is.
Again, the Azkals must show up in the best version of themselves in both grueling campaigns, so, the most urgent question right now is whether Dooley has what it takes to yield results.
Not surprisingly, his past tussles with high-profile Azkals always get brought up. Shortly after Dooley took over as coach in 2014, Azkal Stephan Schröck quit from international duties, blaming Dooley for his decision, but not after calling the team a disorganized “chicken farm.” Well, from that chicken farm, Dooley did build a formidable team that achieved something historic. I wonder if Schröck would reconsider reuniting – again – with this “Hühnerhaufen” even if it’s still Dooley tending the farm.
If the PFF does decide to replace Dooley, then that replacement must be capable of building upon what the Azkals under the current coach have accomplished, so it can take them to another level. The question is, can the PFF find such a coach it can afford? Or does the PFF really need to look far from the chicken farm for an answer?